Civil war

ENGLISH football is on the brink of civil war following the John Terry racism
trial.

The case has polarised opinion within the game, despite Chelsea’s captain
being cleared of racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.

There is even talk among black players about meeting to discuss forming their
own breakaway federation to deal with race issues and discrimination.

It is also possible many black players will refuse to shake Terry’s hand
before the start of Premier League games.

Last night Ferdinand’s brother Rio became embroiled in his own ‘race slur’ row
concerning Chelsea’s Ashley Cole, a defence witness for Terry.

When Rio received a message on Twitter condemning Cole as a ‘choc ice’ and a
‘sell-out’, he laughed and replied ‘choc ice that’s a classic hahahaha.’

Furious Chelsea fans and other football supporters confronted Ferdinand on the
social media site and accused him of potentially racist behaviour.

The Manchester United star quickly took down the message but too late to
prevent copies being sent to the Met Police and the FA.

The PFA has issued guidelines to players using social networking sites,
warning them they risk being sacked if they say anything that could bring
the game into disrepute.

The FA would not comment but have repeatedly warned players about their public
behaviour and attitude to fellow pros. So Ferdinand could be in trouble.

The crux of the issue is that Terry admitted in court he used the words
‘f****** black c***’ during the row with Anton Ferdinand in last season’s
QPR v Chelsea clash at Loftus Road — though he claimed it was not as an
insult.